Battle of the Exes
by JinnySkeans
Summary: So when your only ally in a winner-takes-all, no-holds-barred competition for thousands of dollars is your ex, AKA the one person on Earth you hate with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns...well, just try not to fall in love. Again. Because that's what got you in trouble in the first place, isn't it? AU. Sasuke/Sakura, others.
1. Chapter 1

_Here's a hypothetical situation._

_ You get an offer to be a part of this really popular, really awesome TV reality series your freshman year of college. Over the summer, you spend three months living in a house with a bunch of strangers your age. You work together and play together and fight with each other, and every minute of it is taped, edited, and broadcasted to the entire world. You're famous._

_ You fall in love with one of your castmates._

_ He says he loves you back._

_ And it keeps on going, this relationship, even after the show's over and aired and you go home. You keep it going even though it's long distance, he lives far away, you both have school and work and separate friends and separate lives._

_ At least, you try to._

_ Then things go wrong. Even if you still love him, you wonder if he loves you. It's hard to tell when he isn't sharing a hot tub with you, when he isn't pulling you underneath a mountain of covers to drown you in kisses where the cameras can't reach._

_ You fight with him. He fights with you. Accuses you of things. Can't trust you. You don't trust him either. And so, when you break up with him one horrible night, and he doesn't stop you, that's that. It's over. You move on. You try to, anyway. Never going back._

_ Then, you get a call from the producers of your season of this really popular, really awesome TV reality series that sort of ruined your life. They remind you of a contractual obligation where you participate in a competitive game show after the season's already ended. They fly you out to a tropical island where you're competing with other castmates from different seasons._

_ You do it, right? Of course you do. Contract says you have to. And you miss your friends from your season, and you're competitive as hell, and this is money that can go to medical school. Win-win._

_ But what the producers don't tell you is this challenge is called Battle of the Exes. And your only partner, your one ally, the only person who can help you win thousands of dollars or send you right home with nothing…is the boy you fell in love with. The boy who broke your heart._

_ So I guess the hypothetical question would be…what do you do?_

* * *

The Real Life: Konoha had been something out of a dream.

Sakura remembered it with fondness, with consternation, with nostalgia that ran hot and cold, because things had gone so wrong and so right over those three months last summer.

She stared out the plane window now, cruising thousands of feet in the air above puffy white clouds, headed towards the location of the newest edition of The Challenge, which she'd just learned was a small, tropical island off the coast, called Izanami. She'd never been there before, but heard nothing but nice things about it.

All in all, this was one part of her contract that she really didn't mind. She was entering her final year of college, and would be back in Konoha just in time for fall semester, and without any significant summer plans, a competition game show seemed like a decent way to try and make some money. Each participant on The Real Life was required to participate in at least one challenge after their season was completed.

Sakura doubted she would be back for more of this. Once she graduated college, she was going to go to medical school, followed by (hopefully) a residency at a good hospital. She wouldn't have much time after that to fritter away as a reality television starlet.

It was a long flight, almost eight hours, but she was too jittery, too excited to try and sleep through it.

Who would be coming to this challenge?

The producers told her almost nothing about it. Contractually, she was forbidden to discuss anything about her participation in the show until after it had aired; accordingly, she wasn't allowed to tell her former castmates, some of whom were her closest friends since filming had wrapped, that she was going to be a contestant in the new Challenge. No one knew who would be competing, and they wouldn't find out until they arrived. And what was more, no one knew exactly what this Challenge would be about.

Each one was different. One was men versus women one year, the next was season versus season, like Konoha versus Suna. Sakura had no idea what to expect, going into this one.

She hoped that Ino would go. She'd met Ino the first day of filming The Real Life: Konoha the summer before. After a rocky start in which neither of them seemd able to get along with the other, they'd set aside their differences and become fast, close friends. There was no one in the world Sakura trusted more than her former castmate.

She hoped to see Naruto there as well, another castmate from TRL: K whom she loved dearly. Naruto, unfortunately, had broken up with his girlfriend Hinata, another girl who'd stayed in the house with them over the summer. Sakura knew little about the breakup beyond the fact that Naruto was devastated by it. She hadn't seen him since filming.

There were, however, others she _really_ didn't want to see again.

Namely, (and as she thought about it, her hands gripped the seatbelt around her waist tightly, the leather biting into her skin,) her ex-boyfriend.

Sasuke Uchiha.

Thinking his name filled her with a rush of powerful, incredible emotions that ran the gamut from desperate longing to absolute hatred. Her stomach flipped and turned, like she was going to throw up from sickness and nerves. Her heartbeat quickened, her lip curled.

Just _thinking _about him could elicit such a powerful reaction from her, and she hadn't even seen him in months. After they'd broken up, she'd cut off all contact with him, refusing to so much as hear about him from their former castmates.

Sakura hated him. Loathed him, to her core, for making her feel so many things and all at once. She'd loved him so much, desperately, passionately, unequivocally, only to have the rug ripped out from under her the second she'd lowered her guard.

Her eyes hardened, and she sat up straighter.

Well, never again. She'd learned her lesson. Sasuke Uchiha was a part of her past that she was more than happy to forget about, bury, never think of again.

"Uh…excuse me, Miss…I think I know you," a curious voice interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to see a guy sitting in front of her, turned around in his seat, staring at her with wide eyes. His reaction was not uncommon, rude as it was, and she sighed.

"Wait a minute…you were on The Real Life that one season, weren't you?" he exclaimed, apparently recognizing her as he snapped his fingers in victory. "Sakura! You're _Sakura!_"

Sakura never thought for one minute that after filming was over and the show had aired, that she would be famous for anything. It was a silly show she agreed to do, mostly because her friends had dared her to accept when the producers asked her to participate. But this happened all the time; she couldn't go most places without being recognized.

Ironically, it wasn't flattering. In fact, it was kind of aggravating.

"Yes," she replied with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Hell yeah, it's _great_ to meet you!" the guy exclaimed, shaking her hand vigorously, still turned around in his seat and drawing quite a bit of attention to her. "I'm Idate, I watched your season, it was awesome! You're even prettier in person than you were on TV."

She giggled. Hard to take offense to something like that!

"Oh! Thanks. Camera adds ten pounds, or whatever."

"Nah, you were smokin hot," Idate went on. "Hey can I get an autograph?"

"Oh come on. I'm not a celebrity! What do you want my autograph for?"

"So I can tell all the guys back home that I met the hottest girl on the Real Life! Well, if it won't make your boyfriend mad, that is."

Sakura's smile tightened.

She and Sasuke had left the season as a couple. No one, besides their friends, knew that they'd broken up afterwards. To the eyes of a feverish viewership, Sasuke and Sakura were still caught up in their whirlwind summer romance, and always would be.

She didn't have the heart to tell him that they weren't together anymore.

Mostly, she didn't want to say it out loud.

"I don't think that's a problem," she said neutrally, and when he handed her a pen, she scribbled her name on an airplane napkin for him. "There. Sorry to be rude, but I'm really tired," she lied. "I'm just gonna get a nap in till we land. It was nice to meet you, Idate."

"You, too, Sakura!" he said. "Man, the guys are gonna be so jealous!"

He turned back around, and Sakura closed her eyes with a sigh.

She didn't know if Sasuke was going to participate in this challenge. Like the others, his contract stated he'd have to at some point, but she was pretty confident he'd avoid this round, if only because he knew she'd be competing. After six months of absolutely no contact, how awkward would it be to confront your ex for the first time on _reality television?_

So she hoped he wouldn't be there, and that she could finish up her days as a part of The Real Life with friends who hadn't hurt her the way Sasuke had. Then, she could close the book on that chapter of her life, and leave Sasuke Uchiha in the past where he belonged.

Maybe then, people would stop thinking of her only as the girlfriend of Sasuke Uchiha. And of Sasuke as the boyfriend of Sakura Haruno.

And maybe then, hearing about the relationship that she wasn't able to preserve wouldn't feel like fucking salt in the open wounds of her heart.

* * *

When the plane landed in beautiful Tea Country, on a small island named Izanami, Sakura's excitement outweighed her nerves. No way would Sasuke be here, she was being silly thinking he'd be stupid enough to sign up for the one challenge he knew she'd participate in. With any luck, she'd be reunited with her old friends, maybe make some new ones, dispel any rumors the world might have about a continuing romance between she and her ex, and hopefully win some money to pay off her medical school bills with.

Besides, the island was absolutely gorgeous. At least, what little of it she could see out the window. She tucked a lock of pink hair behind her ear and collected her carry-on bag, before disembarking from the plane, through the hangar and into the tiny airport.

The humidity hit her like a bowling ball. Apparently, summer, while hot back in Konoha, was wretched on islands like these. This was not a good sign; Sakura knew of her hair's unfortunate tendency to curl in the heat, and could only imagine the wild, tangled mess it would look like on TV. She sighed, but decided not to let a silly thing like that affect her mood.

_You're here to make money, hang out with your old friends, and close the door on this whole thing once and for all, _she thought firmly, looking around for the producer that was going to pick her up from the airport and take her to the house she'd be staying at for the competition. _Who the hell cares what your hair looks like?_

The network hadn't specified who would be coming to get her. That was irritating. She only hoped it was someone she'd met before, so the ride wouldn't be awkward.

"There you are, Sakura!" a voice called out from behind her. She looked around and saw, to her delight, her favorite producer, a woman named Kurenai Sarutobi, waving towards her. To Sakura's surprise, Kurenai was very, very pregnant, and waddled towards her with a wide smile on her face.

"Kurenai!" Sakura exclaimed happily, closing the distance between them with a happy hug. The producers for TRL: K had been nothing but kind and accommodating to Sakura and her castmates during their summer season, and she was happy to see that Kurenai was back, even in her condition. "What are you doing here like that? You should be at home!"

"And leave you kids out here unsupervised?" Kurenai laughed. "Not a chance, not a chance! Besides, Asuma's here with me, so if I go into labor sometime soon, he'll be here for it."

"Asuma's back, too?" She recalled the chain-smoking cameraman with the easy smile, Kurenai's husband and the father of her unborn child. "I'm guessing Genma, and Raidou, and Kotetsu, and Gai are, too, then?"

"Right you are, sweetie. Genma, Raidou, and Kotetsu are going to be security, Gai the lead cameraman, and some others you haven't met yet. Come on, let's get your bags from baggage claim. I'll take you to the house and show you where you'll be staying."

"Am I allowed to know what's gonna happen when I get there?" Sakura quipped.

Kurenai smirked.

"Not a chance."

* * *

The drive from the airport to the house was brief. They took a Jeep, the top down and the windows wide open, a hot breeze pulling through her thick pink hair. Sakura drank in the sights while Kurenai drove, chatting amiably about everything _except the Challenge,_ about which she was frustratingly vague. Whatever was going to happen, it was clear that the producers wanted to keep it a secret until everyone was there.

That made Sakura nervous, but she tamped down her nerves and focused instead on the beautiful island scenery. Palm trees dotted the dirt road they drove on, lime green fronds swaying on the balmy island breeze. Crystal blue ocean was visible on the horizon, beneath an azure sky peppered with fluffy white clouds. Even for its humidity, the network couldn't have picked a prettier place to film this.

She was jittery with excitement and anxiety, as Kurenai finally pulled off the main road up a winding hill in the middle of what looked like a jungle. She made out a villa in the distance, and couldn't control her squeal of delight.

"That's where we'll be staying?" she cried happily.

To her (horror) surprise, Kurenai merely chuckled.

"Nope, that's where WE'LL be staying. That is, everyone BUT the competitors."

Sakura whimpered as Kurenai drove right past the enormous, gorgeous island villa with the kickass view, hand extended towards it in bitterest longing.

"_That's_ where you'll be staying," Kurenai said, pointing ahead.

Sakura looked around to where Kurenai was indicating, and let out a low, vile string of curses.

"You gotta be fucking shitting me! Tits!"

For as massive as the villa they'd just passed was, this one was twice as large, and twice as beautiful. It rested at the very top of the hill, surrounded by palm trees and flowers and just a few feet away from a pristine white sand beach. It was very open and bright, white see-through curtains draped over the wide open windows, balsa wood framing on the doors and what looked like an ENORMOUS pool around back.

"Kurenai this is the world's most perfect fucking place," Sakura breathed lowly. "How does a place like this even exist? I thought you were going to take me to a shack on the beach, make us pitch a tent and live in squalor…"

"Dramatic girl," Kurenai chuckled. "You need a big place to stay. There's gonna be a decent amount of competitors this time around, not to mention the actual mechanics of operating camera and sound equipment…we need space to film you guys. You remember how big your house was, back on TRL: K."

"Yeah, well, honestly I'd very much like to forget TRL: K ever happened," Sakura replied a little bitterly.

Did she imagine Kurenai's secretive smile?

"Looks like there's only one other competitor here so far," said the pregnant producer, pulling into a parking spot beside another, identical Jeep. "Take your stuff inside, they're ready to start filming once you step in. You know the drill, Sakura."

Someone else was already in the house!

Excited now, hoping it was Ino or Naruto or Kiba or someone else she knew from her season, she hopped out of the Jeep, seized her suitcase, and almost ran inside. The need to explore where she would be staying in this island paradise throughout the duration of the competiton (or however long she lasted before elimination) prevailed over any anxiety she might have had as she raced up the sandstone steps to the door.

She was being filmed already. The cameramen were inside, moving like ghosts around the house, while some cameras were mounted on the walls and furniture already. It was astonishingly easy to forget filming was taking place at all; eventually, the cameramen melted into the background and it got to the point where you didn't even notice them.

She looked around at the interior of the house, whistling at how beautiful everything was. Bright, colorful sofas and chairs, hardwood flooring, fine sheer curtains and liquor in every corner of each room.

She counted ten bedrooms in all (TEN BEDROOMS), with two beds each, and made a note to bunk with Ino or one of her other friends at the earliest possible convenience. It was possible that she was the only one from her season participating in this challenge, but far likelier that at least one of her castmates would be there as well.

Remembering that Kurenai had said someone else was already there, Sakura clapped a hand to her forehead and deposited her suitcase on the first bed she spotted.

"Hello?" she called out, leaving the bedroom and looking around for her fellow competitor. "Hello! Who's here besides me? Hello?"

Footsteps were coming from outside, and excitedly, she threw open the patio door in the back that led to the pool. She ran quickly to meet up with the mystery contestant, before slamming into something rock hard and nearly falling right into the pool.

"Shit," she cussed, rubbing her forehead, before looking up at the obstruction in her path.

Green eyes went round as silver dollars.

"Shit," she cussed again.

Standing in front of her, six feet of lean muscle and eyes as black as midnight, arms folded over his rippling pectorals and an unreadable expression on a face that looked like it was carved from marble, was the one person she never wanted to see again.

"You," she hissed.

The other competitors hadn't arrived yet. She was never more aware of the cameras filming her every move. And here she was, alone in this honeymoon house with the one person on the planet she loathed with every fiber of her being.

"Sakura," said Sasuke Uchiha.

And she realized, as the deep, gorgeous timbre of his rich voice hit her like a kick in the stomach, that getting on that plane was the worst possible mistake she could have made.

The hardest challenge of this whole competition was going to be this handsome obstacle who'd stolen her heart, but forgotten to return it.

_What the hell am I supposed to do now?!_

* * *

__**note..** Hi there, everyone! Because I'm lame, I love the Challenge competition shows on MTV. And the idea of having exes compete with one another, knowing that there's all kinds of pent-up animosity and aggression and hurt and anger brewing under the surface, is delicious to me. Excited to show you what I have in mind. Let me know what you think!

Go PHILLIES.

xoxo Daisy


	2. Chapter 2

It had been months since he'd seen those angry green eyes looking up at him, and he thought he was ready to see them again.

It felt like a kick in the stomach.

He wasn't ready for this. Not remotely.

"You," she hissed, like a curse, and the eyes he'd fallen in desperate, ridiculous love with narrowed. Hatred burned within them like molten lava, and her small (fucking perfect) body tensed like she was preparing herself for battle. Slender muscles flexed in her arms and legs, like she half expected him to throw a punch and wanted to be ready to block it.

"Sakura," he said quietly, relishing the taste of her name on his lips after so long. It felt like releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Careful to keep his face composed, his voice even, he took advantage of the moment and drank her in.

She was impossibly more beautiful than he remembered, though that could easily have been because he hadn't seen her in awhile. At least, not up close. Since they were pseudo-celebrities now, he couldn't ever really escape her face; their Real Life: Konoha cast picture was on the billboard near his apartment in Oto. Commercials for the series ran on TV all the time. Everyone asked him about her. Everyone knew Sasuke and Sakura, at least as the star-crossed lovers on primetime.

But seeing her up close was nothing like the photoshopped pictures he couldn't run away from. It was like coming in out of the snow, the way she electrified him, the way just looking into her eyes, full of rage and anger as they were, set him on fire from inside out. God, there was nothing like her.

She turned away from him, scoffing, her hands on her hips. He was visited by a sudden desire to kiss the little red mark on her forehead, made from running into his clavicle at a hundred miles an hour, but restrained himself. He no longer had that right.

"What a staged, disgusting set-up this was," Sakura fumed, and Sasuke blinked and remembered where he was, what he was doing. His stomach clenched tightly when he heard the revulsion in her tone. Anger swelled within him to match her own, because _did she really think this didn't hurt him, too?_ "Revolting. What a coincidence, that the only other person here besides me is _you._"

The way she said it prickled his nerves. His lip curled.

"What, did I upset you?" she snapped, and a smirk twisted her pretty pink lips, contorting her perfect features into something, and someone unrecognizable. His heart racing, his stomach churning, he couldn't reconcile this vicious, resentful harpy with the sweet girl who'd kissed him with all the love in the world while he ran his fingers through her hair. He'd known she had a temper since their season last year, but seeing it in action, used _against_ him, was something else entirely.

"Tch," he scoffed, just to annoy her. He glared at the pool they were arguing besides as though it had said something offensive to him.

"As eloquent as ever," she hissed, like a viper. "Figures that's all you have to say to me. And you can edit this shit out," she shouted to the cameramen he hadn't even noticed huddled in the bushes across the pool, "because I'm gonna fucking cuss the whole fucking time anyway so you dickheads won't be able to use this shit in the first fucking place!"

Sasuke's first instinct was to smirk. Such a clever, witchy Sakura thing to do; because all of their cuss words had to be censored out when the episodes were broadcasted on TV, and she'd spoken so quickly, when her speech was aired it would be bleeped out completely and no one would be able to understand what she'd said in the first place. He had to hand it to her.

Then she looked back at him, and a foul, evil smirk ignited her features until she was frighteningly, terrifyingly gorgeous, and she snapped, "But they can keep _this_ in. Hell, I hope they put it on a _billboard._"

With that, she swung her elbow into his side with incredible force, and he barely had time to recall how absurdly strong she was for a girl so small before he went careening over the side of the pool. He hit the water with a loud SPLASH, and by the time he resurfaced, fuming pissed and ready to exact revenge, Sakura had vanished inside the house.

The cameras caught every second.

He growled under his breath, spat chlorine water out of his mouth, and thought, _Well if this is how you want it, Sakura, this is how you'll get it!_

* * *

Sasuke claimed a bedroom at the end of the hall, farthest from the one Sakura had claimed for herself. Having her in the same vicinity was torture enough; there was no way he could stand sleeping so close to her after everything they'd been through together. He stripped off his soaking wet clothes and changed quickly into a pair of shorts and a basic T-shirt, toweling his hair dry.

_That was such a set-up, _he thought angrily. _Sakura was right._

Because wouldn't it be excellent TV, if Sakura and Sasuke, Konoha's very own passionate love story, confronted one another alone in the island mansion? Wouldn't it make delicious drama to watch their bitter break-up unfold on the primetime small screen every Thursday night? Good fucking ratings.

Well, fuck that.

Sasuke had one clear reason for coming here. And seeing Sakura's reaction to his presence, he resolved he would never tell her, or anyone else for that matter, that it had been his naïve intention to try to work things out.

Sakura clearly had moved on. She looked at him with nothing but hatred shining in green eyes that used to sparkle when he came in the room. She tensed up like she was frightened of him the second she realized he was there. She spat his name like a curse, when she used to scream it like a prayer.

It killed whatever was left of his tiny black heart, but this was the way life went for Sasuke Uchiha. Coming so close to everything he ever could have wanted, only to have it ripped away from him at the last minute. Twisted, like everything else he'd ever known, into something bitter and acrimonious.

Growling slightly, he heard a commotion downstairs and surmised that someone else must have arrived. Hearing Sakura's delighted shriek from below twisted something in his stomach, but he forced it back.

He would never let her know how it destroyed him to have earned her hatred, to have lost her love.

He would tolerate her presence on this show and stay out of her way. He would fortify his heart with steel, never let her, or anyone else, for the matter, inside so he'd never be hurt again. He would be ice cold to the girl who'd ripped his heart out, repay her animosity with apathy.

And when the show was over, they would part ways and he'd never have to see her again.

_I lost her,_ he thought bitterly, making his way down the stairs to see who else had arrived. _She's gone. There's no sense in trying anymore. She's moved on._

_ So will I._

His musings were interrupted by a piercingly loud scream, and Sasuke was ambushed by a woman soaked in perfume, blonde hair in his eyes as she hugged him fiercely.

"SASUKE!" she screamed. "I MISSED YOU, YOU DICK! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?"

"Yamanaka," he muttered, not returning the hug. His old castmate from The Real Life: Konoha, Ino Yamanaka was a handful much like Sakura, but he wasn't as annoyed as he thought he might be. She was a pain in the ass, but a friend all the same.

She pulled back and then shook his collar. "YOU BROKE UP WITH SAKURA?! WHY!"

Well, she never wasted any time anyway. He set his jaw and looked away, pointedly ignoring Sakura's presence in the corner of the foyer, hanging back like he was a snake and she didn't want him to sink his poisonous fangs into her.

"And you're soaking wet!" Ino added loudly, as obnoxious as she always was. "Is this some get-back-at-your-ex thing where you drench yourself in water trying to be sexy? Because if so it ain't working, you look like a pissed cat."

Sakura's mean little giggle from the corner earned her a vicious glare, but beyond that, he refused to gratify her nasty reaction with one of his own.

He was spared the aggravation of replying by a commotion from outside, indicating more people were arriving at the enormous mansion. Sakura, without looking at him, ran to greet whoever had arrived; Ino gave him a significant look before following.

Sasuke didn't care who else was coming.

He skulked irritably back into his bedroom and laid down on the edge of the bed, his hands folded behind his head as he pondered his next move. Hearing Naruto's raucous voice greeting the girls below, followed by the hum of conversation from people he didn't recognize, wasn't helping his mood at all.

He'd come here for one reason.

To see if there was anything salvageable from his relationship with Sakura.

And it didn't look like there was. So what the fuck was the point of pretending he was happy to be here? His eyes slid shut.

With any luck, he could stay in this room, alone, until the season was over.

* * *

No such luck, unfortunately.

One of the producers ushered him down to the living room an hour or so later, waking him up and sending his already foul mood plummeting about a hundred stories. Contractually obligated to do this shit, Sasuke, seething, stalked downstairs to where, it seemed, everyone else was all accounted for.

His black eyes swept along the various people strewn about the living room, some of them seated on the plush white sofas, others standing by the windows, others sprawled out on the floor. It was a motley crew indeed.

There were Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Kiba, all from his season of TRL: K. They were gathered together in the largest group, chatting animatedly, until they saw him and conversation came to a screeching halt. Annoyed, he turned away from them and took note of Shikamaru and Sai, from a season of TRL: K that had taken place a year before his, along with a girl from that same season he couldn't name, but did recognize.

On another couch sat Temari and her brother Gaara, from TRL: Suna. Gaara nodded at him in acknowledgment, Temari inclined her head like she was granting an exclusive offer, but beyond that, she kept sneaking glances at Shikamaru. There was a mousy-haired girl as well, with thick glasses, who wasn't sneaking glances so much as full-on staring at Gaara. Sasuke couldn't remember her name.

By the windows were Omoi and Karui, who he recognized from TRL: Kumo, who sat in uncharateristic silence. Near them were a mean-looking guy named Zaku and his ex, a mean-looking girl named Kin from TRL: Oto, along with Suigetsu and Karin, who were yelling at each other in loud volumes. They stopped, however, when they saw Sasuke, and waved to him.

Content to be on the opposite side of the room as his former Konoha castmates, he sat down in a chair near Suigetsu and Karin.

While they waited for the host of the show to arrive and explain the rules, Sasuke's brain was whirring at a thousand miles a minute. He hadn't noticed right away, too distracted by the presence of Sakura to process much of anything, but now that he looked around…

Naruto, and Hinata, who'd gotten together on the show and broken up (albeit as friends) right after…

Omoi and Karui, broken up after Kumo…

Gaara, and Matsuri…broken up during TRL: Suna…

Sasuke realized that there were an even number of contestants, and with a sinking feeling in his stomach, he was noticing a rather morbid pattern.

_Each show has a theme,_ he thought slowly, his eyes narrowing as they settled on the back of Sakura's head. _And it looks like this one's gonna be…_

"Welcome, contestants, to Battle of the Exes!"

Everyone's attention shifted to the front of the living room, where seasoned challenge host Jiraiya had rushed in, the cameras swivelling in his direction, some to capture the reaction of the participants. Everyone was clapping, but Jiraiya's welcome words were seeping in, as they all came to the same startling conclusion as Sasuke.

"I'm your host-with-the-most, Jiraiya!" he introduced needlessly; all of them knew exactly who he was, having seen countless Challenge after Challenge in the past, but Sasuke knew he was doing it for the sake of the audience at home. It was so easy to forget that the cameras were here; Sasuke, on his season, had made many a terrible decision only to see it for himself months later, when the episode aired. He'd need to be extra careful this time around.

His still-damp hair and Sakura's evil smirk of victory were proof that he would need to step his game up.

"We're doing something different this year on the Challenge," Jiraiya continued.

"Let me guess!" Naruto chimed in, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We're gonna be competing against our exes?" He looked worriedly at Hinata.

"Wrong!" Jiraiya exclaimed joyously, like he had wanted someone to guess that all along. "This season," and here he grinned directly, _directly_ at Sasuke, "you're going to be competing _with_ your exes."

There was an immediate buzzing of chatter amongst the contestants. Sasuke glared hard at the floor, unable to meet Sakura's eye, and completely unprepared for this.

"That's right, kids. We're gonna have ten teams of two, which means…your only teammate is gonna be the one person you never thought you'd have to be with again."

His stomach churned. He'd come here half-ready to see Sakura, try and salvage something civil from her and move on, with or without her. Now, they would be forced upon one another; his only chance at victory was to work with her. Glancing up and seeing the naked outrage in her eyes, he realized he'd miscalculated terribly.

She hated him. He hadn't been fully prepared for that, and now the entire world was going to watch him suffer the consequences.

"So here are the teams," Jiraiya went on, reading from a card in his hand. "We have…Gaara and Matsuri; Omoi and Karui; Sai and Ami; Neji and Tenten; Naruto and Hinata; Kiba and Ino; Shikamaru and Temari; Suigetsu and Karin; Zaku and Kin; and, Sasuke and Sakura."

He didn't bother gauging anyone else's reactions. He tuned out Jiraiya explaining the rules to everyone; how there would be a competition every other day, followed by an elimination round on the opposite day. You were placed in elimination rounds by either coming in last, or being nominated by the team who'd placed first in that challenge. There would be three teams left at the end to compete for a grand prize of $250,000.

Sasuke considered the money, and realized he would probably pay a lot more just to get off this island, out of this environment and away from the girl he still loved, who looked at him with barbed wire in her eyes.

He'd made a huge mistake.

* * *

**Interview:**

_**What was it like, seeing Sakura again? Since you guys broke up.**_

(fidget) _Looks away from the camera._ "Tch. I don't gotta tell you anything." _Leaves._

_**What was it like, seeing Sasuke again? That first moment, what was going through your head?**_

(looks away, bites her lip)

"Like taking antiseptic," she replies coldly, "and pouring it into an open wound. Like maybe relief is soon to follow, but for now…" Glares at camera, eyes glossy. "But for now, it hurts like hell."

* * *

**note..** hi! remember this one?

let me know what you think, okay?

xoxo day-zee. (working in a bar. all night. save me. save me from the storm and the guys who can't see my wedding ring even when i flash it in their eyes.)


End file.
